Cotton-packer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. R. K. THOMPSON.

COTTON PAGKER. No. 370,829. Patentgd Oct. 4, 1887,

(1 10 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. R. K. THOMPSON.

COTTON PAGKBR.

No. 370,829. I Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT K. THOMPSON, OF OLIO, TEXAS.

COTTON-PACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,829, dated October4,1887.

Application filed June 8, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT K. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Olio, in the county of Brown and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Cotton-Packers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in 'cotton-packers; and itconsists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, thatwill be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cotton-packerembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. 3is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the ;line .10 x of Fig.2. Fig. 4 is a similar view taken onthe line y y of Fig. 2.

/ Fig. 5 is a detail view of the drum. Fig. 6 is a detached perspectiveView of the drum and the stop or detent projection therefor.

A represents the press-box of a cotton-press, from the upper side ofwhich, at the corners thereof, project vertical guide-bars B, which areprovided on their opposing sides with vertieal grooves O. Y

1 represents a frame which supports the guide-bars B, and comprises thefour converging corner posts, E, connected together at their upper endsby means of the longitudinal bars F and the cross-bars G. H represents atransverse shaft which is ournaled on the upper sides of the beams F,and on the said shaft is a pulley, I.

K represents a ground frame which is erected on one side of thepressbox, and is provided with vertical standards L, the said standardsbeing braced by inclined beams M. On the said ground-frame is j ournaleda horizontal longitudinal shaft, N. On the inner end of the said shaftis loosely mounted a drum,

O, which is provided on one side with a projecting shoulder or detent,P. Across the periphery of said drum, on one side thereof, is atransverse groove, B, in which is located a lever, S, the said leverbeing fulcrumed between a pair of ears that project from the drum.

T represents a spring which bears under the lever S, and forces the sameoutward normally from the face of the drum. One end of the leverprojects beyond the front side of the Serial No. 240.624. (No model.)

drum, for the purpose to be hereinafter described.

U represents an arm which is rigidly secured to and projects from theshaft N, and from the rear side of the said arm, near the outer endthereof, projects a tappet-pin,V, the point of which bears against thefront side of the drum. The extreme outer end of the shaft N has apulley or crank, W, by means of which the shaft may be rotated.

X represents a shaft which is journaled in suitable bearing-blocks onthe ground-frame, and is arranged parallel with the shaft N. This shaftX is provided with a pinion, Y, which engages a gear-wheel, Z, on theshaft N, and the outer end of the shaft X is provided with a fly-wheel,A.

B represents a transverse horizontal rockshaft which is journaled insuitable bearingblocks on the front sides of the standards L at asuitable heightabove the shafts N and X. From the center of thisrock-shaft projects a rearwardly-extending arm, 0, the rear end of whichis arranged over the drum 0, and is connected thereto by means of a cordor rope, D.

E represents a transverse horizontal shaft which is journaled insuitable bearing-blocks arranged on the front sides of the standardsL,near the upper ends thereof. This shaft has a ratchet-wheel, F, at oneend, and is provided atits opposite extremity with a drum,G.

H represents a gravity-pawl which is pivoted to one of the inclinedbraces M, and engages the' ratchetwheel F.

1 represents a vertical post which is provided at its upper end with apulley, K.

A cord or rope, L, is rigidly attached to the drum G, passes over thepulley K, and has a weight, M, attached ,to its pendent end.

N represents the packing-head or follower, which is adapted to workvertically in the press-box, and is guided by the vertical bars B, whichproject from the upper corners of the press-box. This packing-head orfollower is connected to a rope, O,which passes over the pulley I, fromthence passes under the guiding-sheave' P on the upper side of the arm0, and the outer end of the said rope is attached ICO- to the shaft E,and is adapted to be wound on at one side thereof, and is adapted tofeed the cotton-lint into the press-box.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the shaftN is rotatedin the direction indicated by the arrow, it causes the tappet-pin of itsarm to strike against the projecting end of the lever pivoted on thesaid drum, and thereby causes the drum to partly rotate with the saidshaft and wind the cord or rope D, and thereby lower the rear end of thearm O, and consequently cause the latter to draw downward on the outerportion of the rope O, and thereby raise the follower orpacking-headfrom the press-box. The cotton is immediately fed to the press-box whilethe packing head or follower is elevated, and as the shaft N and thedrum continue to rotatein the same direction the inner end of the leverS on the said drum comes in contact with the cord or rope D, and ismoved inward thereby against the tension of its spring,whieh causes theprojecting front end of the said lever to become disengaged from thetappet-pin, and as a consequence the packing-head or follower drops withconsiderable force into the press-box on the cotton therein and causesthe drum 0 to turn idly in the reverse direction to its previousmovement,until the stop or shoulder]? on the said drum comes in contactwitha projection, R of the ground-frame. This projection or detent Ropposes the side of the drum 0 having the shoulder P, and is in the pathof the said shoulder. As the shaft N continues to rot-ate,the followeror packing-head is caused to successively rise and drop in thepress-box, and thereby firmly compress the cotton fed thereto beforebaling the same. As the cotton accumulates in the press-box, and as thedistance through which the packinghead or follower falls becomescorrespondingly lessened, the weighted cord over the pulley K causes theshaft E to be turned and thereby wind up the rope O, and consequentlyprevent the same rope from becoming slackened.

When a driving-motor is geared to the shaft X, the rate of speed of theshaft N is diminished by reason of the pinion Y on the said shaft Xbeing smaller than the wheels G on the shaft N.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of therotating shaft N,

the drum O,loosely mounted on the said shaft,

having the projecting tappet-pin, the drum loosely mounted on the saidshaft and having the spring-actuated lever pivoted thereto andprojecting from one side of the said drum into the path of thetappet-pin, the verticallymovable packing-head or follower, the rope 0,connected to the said packing-head or follower, and connections wherebythe revolutionof the drum draws on the rope D, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the vertically-movable packing-head or follower,the rocking arm 0, having the guide 1?, the shaft E, having the drum G,and the weighted cord or rope attached to the said drum, and the rope 0,attached to the packing head or follower, passed overasuitableguiding-pulley,l, under the guide P, and attached to the shaftE, substantially as described.

4. The combination of thepress-box, the vertically-movable packing-heador follower, the rotating shaft N, having the tappet-pin, the drumloosely mounted on the said shaft, and having the pivotedspring-actuated lever projecting from one side of the said drum into thepath of the iappet-pin, the rocking-arms 0, having the guide P, theshaft E, having the drum G and the weighted cord attached thereto, theratchet-whee1 F on the said shaft E,thepawl H,engagingthesaidratchet-wheel, the rope D, secured to the drum on the shaft N andconnected to the rocking arm C, and the elevating-rope attached to thepackinghead or follower, passed over a suitable guidingsheave, fromthence under the guide 1?, and secured to the shaft E, all combined andarranged to operate substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT K. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

ANDREW J. SHELTON, JOHN SHELToN.

